Sinfest

[Sam]

effective now because this shit just went down


Wendy Davis' filibuster was successful. The vote on the abortion rules laws was being watched by hundreds of thousands of eyes and started at 12:02 .. of 6/26.

This means that it was past midnight and the law failed.

The Republicans then declared victory, declared the law passed, and in about a half hour edited the timestamp back to 6/25.

https://twitter.com/JairusKhan/status/349771266988847104/photo/1

http://soupsoup.net/2013/06/26/texas-senate-changes-date-on-their-sb5-results/

This at the end of a .. what was it, a thirteen hour standing vote block by a lone female representative?

It also brought us this stunning gem:

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/06/24/watch-sponsor-of-texas-anti-abortion-bill-claims-rape-kits-clean-out-pregnancy/

This is absurd. This is insane. The passage of this bill is designed to get rid of most of the places you can get an abortion in Texas. It comes at a time where Texas' AG didn't even wait TWO HOURS to reintroduce racially discriminating redistricting and voter ID laws that had previously been blocked by parts of the Voting Rights Act that conservative justices in the SCOTUS had done away with.

[Sam]

Also because we were up all night watching it we got to watch Australian politics turn right side up

[Yinello]

I don't get republicans.
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How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if the woodchuck had a chainsaw?

[Dennis J. Squidbunny]

re: Australian politics OH SHI
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"Eight hundred pounds of nitro, his boots are thunder as he plays."

[CTrees]

So, what was gained by editing the time stamps of that vote? Was there a 6/25 deadline? Or was it just fraud for the sake of fraud?
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“Yields falsehood when preceded by its quotation”
yields falsehood when preceded by its quotation.

[Heretical Rants]

[Sam]

[Thy Brilliance]

So did the law pass or not?


Are there time traveling Deloreans involved?

[Yinello]

I don't get how this is legal

I don't get how they thought they could get away with it

Maybe they didn't and just wanted the publicity?

If they get away with it I'm going to feel so sorry for all Americans
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How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if the woodchuck had a chainsaw?

[Heretical Rants]

all of the news articles I've read on the matter that Sam didn't link me to have stated that it did not pass, and didn't mention anything about editing time stamps

thats a total of uh

one article

and I don't remember where it was

[Yinello]

Okay okay I feel sorry for all Texans
_________________
How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if the woodchuck had a chainsaw?

[CTrees]

Well nevermind then. Most articles I'm seeing are indeed now saying that it failed. Some are definitely mentioning that Republicans tried to claim it happened before midnight, though - MSN and Talking Points Memo at least have a few lines about that attempted fraud.
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“Yields falsehood when preceded by its quotation”
yields falsehood when preceded by its quotation.

[Sam]

Two things about last night were illegal. First, the filibuster was prematurely ended because of a rules violation of a majority chair, who essentially declared a third violation on Wendy and didn't put it through the standard process, just said 'its a violation cause I say so'

This ended her filibuster (it was like a three strikes thing) but the democratic assembly objected. Eventually they were talking over or even shouting down the objectors challenging the unchallenged strike against Wendy (guh my head) at which point another democratic representative, Sen. Van De Putte loudly said "At what point must a female senator raise her voice to be heard over her male colleagues?"

At this point the crowd went fucking NUTS. They started cheering and chanting and soon started trying to be SO LOUD that the assembled representatives could not vote on the bill. And lo, did it come to pass, that the challenge of the unchallenged challenge challenging the third strike to filibusterer Wendy followed by the fracas in the audience made it so that the assembled republicans couldn't push their vote through until 12:02. On the 26th.

But they decided to just tell everyone "BILL PASSED WHOO YEAH WE DID IT GAME OVER we totally got it in on time because we say so" and did all that shennanigans with the timestamp editing and the closed caucus to decide whether republicans can circumvent time itself

eventually the lieutenant stepped in and asked the caucus to acknowledge that the bill did not pass because it was the 26th. much arguing. eventually the republicans caved. then tried to mount another some sort of challenge I don't even know. but then gave up again and said okay bill is dead.

Drama! Excitement! Conservatives being miserable piles of ignorant excrement! The sponsor of the bill thinking rape kits are used to scoop out rape embryos or fetuses! THE FUCK

oh yeah and also australia, what the fuck

[CTrees]

If rape kits worked like that, wouldn't they technically be abortions?

I still worry that the governor or lt. governor is just going to call a special session in a few months, with minimal warning to the Democratic legislators at a time calculated to ensure minimal attendence, and just force it through then.

And what's going on in Australia, anyway?
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“Yields falsehood when preceded by its quotation”
yields falsehood when preceded by its quotation.

[Arc Tempest]

Best article on the Texas Stuff I've found so far:

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/davis-starts-filibuster-to-stop-abortion-bill/nYTqs/
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The older I get, the more certain I become of one thing. True and abiding cynicism is simply a form of cowardice.